Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)

I thank the witnesses for their contributions. The report is interesting. You could spend days and weeks analysing everything. What struck me were some of the poll results on Ireland's membership of the EU. It does feel like there is downward trend. I can see the reasons for the spikes but it does feel as if there is a downward trend. Between 2023 and 2025, it is down 6%.

Going back in time, I see that it could spike up again. However, I think the last three years have been significant regarding immigration. This is reflected in many of the other questions asked. Immigration seems to be quite a significant issue. I do not know if this has been analysed or if migration was factored in but in recent years, Ursula von der Leyen has been moving away from a work-together type of Presidency and towards one where the European Commission is becoming more focused on her making decisions in isolation about what is happening and not really consulting with the European Council or any of the nations. We see how she has moved to give unequivocal support for Netanyahu and Israel and the genocide in Gaza, as well as her response to the wars and the attacks on Iran and the Middle East in general and her push towards the militarisation of the EU.

Among the people I speak to – and perhaps it is the people I speak to – there is a real sense that the Irish people are really upset with the attitude of Ursula von der Leyen, the push towards militarisation and going out on a limb and making statements in support of Israel when that is out of step with how the Irish public feel. The Commission has been very eager to facilitate the expansion of the EU arms industry and has broken its own budgetary rules in that process, while at the same time putting pressure on Ireland to break our traditional position on neutrality or at least bend it. Migration, as I said, is an issue but the EMI has not picked up that at all, has it? As I said, Ursula von der Leyen seems to have just tried to move the European project away from what it should be, which is about ordinary people and ordinary communities, and towards powerful people and powerful communities. I wonder if this point has been picked up at all. Is it something that has come up on the radar at all?